


in your arms

by maximofos



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Meeting the Parents, Oral Sex, Romantic Gesture, safe sex, yes we named carl's parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-17 07:50:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20617520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maximofos/pseuds/maximofos
Summary: Lunch at Carl's place is interrupted by two very unexpected guests, and a romantic gesture is ruined. How will you make it up to him?





	in your arms

Your heels clicked on the sidewalk as you burrowed deeper in your coat. The air in Ireland was chilly now that autumn had happily returned. The streets were crowded with people enjoying their Saturday afternoon, and you bustled around a young family coming out of a shop, hurrying to make it to your destination. 

It felt like forever since you had seen Carl in person. The distance between your places left much to be desired, and you had agreed to give it at least a year before you moved in together. That left you with texts and Skype sex, but you made it work. Most of the time you were both focused on work anyway, and until life outside the Villa settled down at bit, you probably wouldn’t find much time to find a place together. 

This would only be the fourth time seeing each other in person since you had left the Villa, but it had only been a couple of months. You considered four a blessing, considering how hard you both worked - not to mention interviews with magazines and talk shows and a billion other things that had come of you winning Love Island 2019. Downtime was hard to come by. 

But both you and Carl had agreed a week ago that today would be just for the two of you. A nice lunch date, maybe a show at the cinema, dinner,  _ bedtime _ … Yeah, it was sorely needed. You missed your man terribly.

You couldn’t help but smile giddily to yourself at the fact you would get to see him in a few minutes. You were practically floating down the sidewalk. The light feeling in your chest and the fall colors around you made you feel like you were in a cheesy holiday film. In the best way. 

Your heart sped up as you spotted Carl’s building, all but jogging to get there faster. An older woman held the door open as she was coming out, and you thanked her as you stepped into the warm building. Unraveling your scarf from around your neck, you spotted a teenager staring at you from across the lobby. The same girl who had accosted you for a selfie last time you were here and ended up talking your ear off, asking how Carl was in bed. You really hoped she lived here and didn’t just sneak in all the time. 

Hitting the stairs, you took them two at a time, too excited to slow down and walk like a normal person. By some miracle, you didn’t fall flat on your face and stopped on the landing to the third floor, taking a deep breath. 

Carl’s apartment comprised the entire top floor, so there was only one door. Stepping up to the door, you knocked firmly and almost immediately it swung open. He must have been waiting just on the other side. 

Carl grabbed you by the hand and pulled you through the door into his arms. Greedy for his touch, you wrapped your arms around him and tucked your face into his neck. He was warm and smelled like shampoo and aftershave. You remembered when he used to always smell like sunblock and decided you liked this better. He smelled darker, sexier - as if that was possible. 

He finally released you after kissing the side of your head, pulling back with a heartwarming smile. You were sure your expression matched his - idiots in love. “Hi,” you greeted him dumbly.

“Hi. I missed you.” He looked you up and down carefully, like he couldn’t believe you were really there. “You look beautiful.” A blush colored his cheeks like he was the one who had just been complimented. 

“Melt,” you teased him as you slipped out of your coat. Underneath was a simple outfit - just jeans, a slouchy sweater, and brown boots. Carl had always seemed to like your casual outfits more than when you went all out. 

He took your coat and scarf and hung them up on the rack beside the door as you set your purse on the entry table. He asked about your trip as you looked around the hall, still trying to refamiliarize yourself with his flat. 

It was bigger than yours, you knew; he had showed you around briefly last time you were here. There were doors on each side of the entry - the right leading to the modern kitchen and the left leading to the dining/living rooms and one for the bathroom. The door to the kitchen was closed. 

“The trip was fine, pretty uneventful,” you replied. “I am starving though, is lunch ready?” It was no secret that Carl had ordered out for lunch - he couldn’t cook, plus he had texted you yesterday to see what you desired - but you both had agreed to at least  _ pretend _ otherwise. 

He stepped in front of the door, blocking you from the kitchen. You narrowed your eyes, suspicious. “Actually, I need a few more minutes.” He looked jumpy and nervous - not that that was anything new. 

You nodded. “Okay. I’ll just… wait in there?” Hiking a thumb over your shoulder toward the living room, you arched a brow at him. He nodded quickly, and you giggled to yourself and shook your head. 

Leaving Carl to do his thing, you stepped into the living area. It was bright and spacious, with enough room for a full dining set and a living room suit. There were three giant windows on the far wall, overlooking the street, and they lit up the room, brightening the grey paint. The whole flat was like a meeting of worlds, modern but with classic touches. 

Pushing up the sleeves of your sweater, you plopped down on Carl’s couch. It was dark grey, one of the deep ones that meant you could barely touch the floor if you scooted all the way back. The television on the wall was paused on the home screen of Netflix. You could hear Carl rattling around the kitchen, drawers and cabinets opening and closing in a hurry. 

At one point, you heard a suspicious thud like he had fallen over, but a raised “I’m okay” assured you he was fine. You couldn’t help but laugh a bit. He seemed extra flustered this afternoon, for whatever reason. It was actually adorable. You were really a sucker for his shy personality and clumsiness; it was part of what drew you to him in the first place. 

After about five minutes of Carl rustling around in the other room, he walked into the living room and you faced him expectantly. “Alright?” 

He nodded, fixing his hair before shoving his hands in the pockets of his trousers. After a second, he took them back out. “Yeah, uh… Lunch is se-”

An abrupt knock on the door cut him off. You arched an eyebrow. “Expecting someone?” 

Carl sighed as he shook his head. “Excuse me,” he said as he walked back out into the entry hall. After a few seconds, you heard him open the door and then he said, “Mum, Dad, what are you doing here?”

_ Oh shit, _ you thought. What were Carl’s parents doing here? It’s not that they couldn’t come over, but you definitely hadn’t thought they would today. You hadn’t met them yet, just as Carl hadn’t met your family, but it appeared one of those things was about to change.

A soft, feminine voice answered him. “We haven’t gotten to see you in a while, and we were over this way so I suggested to your father that we pop by and see how you’re doing. You don’t call us anymore, not like you should and-”

“I have work,” Carl interrupted, not rudely. “You know how much time I spend at the office. My job is important to me, Mum.” 

A scoff. “Work. All you ever do is work. We still haven’t gotten to meet-” 

You appeared in the doorway beside Carl, a sheepish smile on your face. “Hi.”

Carl’s mom stared at you in shock for a second before a beautiful smile took over her face. She looked more like her son in that moment than you had expected, even with the pictures you had seen. She was a small woman, with bright eyes and a straight smile. Two dimples stood out in her cheeks and she had laugh lines by her eyes. You smiled brighter just looking at her, the resemblance between mother and son soothing you a bit. 

Carl’s father was taller, almost as tall as his son, with salt-and-pepper hair and wrinkles in his forehead. He looked like the sterner of the two, but looks could be deceiving. Carl had told you once that his mother was the one you had to look out for. She could be the warmest person on earth, so long as you were on her good side. When you had worried about her bad side, he had comforted you and said that as long as she could see how happy Carl was with you, his mother would treat you like her own. 

Now, meeting her, you hoped it was true. 

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald. Carl’s told me a lot about you.” You offered your hand for a handshake, but she pulled you into her arms before you could blink. A warm, welcoming hug only a loving mother could provide. 

“Oh, none of that,” she shushed you as she released you from the hug. “It’s Saoirse. Oh, how is it you’re prettier in person than you are on the telly?” 

Blushing, you shook Mr. Fitzgerald’s hand and he introduced himself. “James. Pleasure to meet you.” You returned the sentiment. 

“Are we interrupting?” Saoirse asked kindly, seeming to finally realize the two of you probably had plans. 

“No,” you answered.

“Kind of.”

You pinched Carl on the leg and smiled at him sweetly when he grimaced. If you wanted to make a good impression on his parents, you didn’t want them to think you were keeping their son from them. After all, you had a few questionable things that happened in the Villa to make up for. Especially all the times you and Carl did bits… on national television… with millions of people watching.

“We can come back another time,” James offered, already trying to usher his wife out the door. She didn’t seem likely to budge. 

You and Carl looked at each other, both trying to convey a different message without speaking. Unfortunately for him, you didn’t have Jedi mind-reading powers, so you said, “Why don’t you stay for lunch?” 

Carl sighed as his mother happily accepted. He gave you a long look as the three of you stared at him expectantly. Eventually, he hung his head and opened the door behind him - the one that led to the kitchen. His parents ushered in first with you right behind them. 

You gaped at the scene before you, slowly coming to regret asking them to stay. This was quite possibly the sweetest, most romantic thing a guy had ever done for you.

The windows on the far wall had been covered with wide curtains, and the lights were dimmed almost as low as they would go. The only light source were the candles scattered around the room. Small white tealights, bigger pillar candles, and two tall taper candles, standing in the middle of the kitchen table. There was a trail of rose petals on the staircase to your left that lead up to the loft that served as Carl’s bedroom. A bouquet of deep red roses sat in a vase on the kitchen counter. 

As his parents stood awkwardly, hovering by the table, Carl turned the lights back up. With the fluorescents burning brightly overhead and Saoirse and James standing in the kitchen, the mood was effectively killed. 

“Maybe we should go…” his mom offered guiltily. Carl shook his head.

“Stay. The moment’s passed now.” 

You flinched, feeling bad that you had accidentally ruined all of Carl’s hard work. You had just been trying to be nice to his parents; no one could fault you for that, right? You grabbed his hand as he walked by, squeezing it tightly. 

“Thank you,” you whispered to him. “This is… It was beautiful.” 

He gave you a sweet smile, leaning in to kiss you on the forehead. All was forgiven, just like that. Your heart hurt at how sweet he was. You watched as he started to blow out the extra candles, leaving just the two on the table burning. You sat down at the table and his parents followed suit as Carl set the food out for you to serve yourselves. 

Slowly, the awkward tension in the room began to dissolve, and a pathway for conversation opened up.

The four of you spent the afternoon chatting and eating, his parents asking you questions about your job, your family, your time in the Villa. Carl and you took turns sharing stories about things they hadn’t aired on the show, inside jokes and funny moments that had been cut for space for more drama. You spared only the most intimate details when his mother asked about how you came to fall in love with him. 

Gradually, the conversation worked its way to Carl and his childhood. It was when the baby pictures on Facebook came up that he tried to shoo them out of his house, to no avail. Saoirse was more than happy to share all the embarrassing photos she had uploaded to her phone over the years. 

Carl blushed and looked away as his mom droned on and on. There was a story to go with every picture she showed you.

Baby Carl, probably only five months old, lying on his stomach with his bare butt on proud display. Carl at about four-years-old, shirtless on a child’s bed fitted with Star Wars sheets and missing a front tooth. Carl on his first bike. With his friends at a birthday party. School pictures. At 16 in a suit for a family member’s wedding. Picture after picture, each one warming your heart through and through. 

It must have been hours of talking before his parents finally decided to leave, and Carl all but pushed them out the door. His mom promised to send you a friend request on Facebook - she had already followed you on Twitter months ago, she said - and his father invited you to their anniversary party next month. 

Once they were successfully out the door, Carl locked the door for good measure. His cheeks had been practically on fire for the last two hours. You smiled at his bashful expression as you helped clear the table. He took the dishes from you and set them in the sink. As he rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, you hopped up on the counter beside him. 

“They’re sweet. I think we can call that meeting a success.” 

Turning on the tap, Carl agreed. “They loved you. Almost as much as I do.” You hummed, leaning in to give him a short peck on the lips. “I know my father doesn’t talk much, it takes him a bit to warm up to strangers.” 

“Yeah, that sounds familiar,” you teased him. A grin tugged at his lips as you watched him scrub the dishes until they were spotless. He handed each clean one to you for you to dry and set in the rack on the other side of you. It was comfortably quiet between the two of you, but you felt the need to apologize for earlier. 

“I’m sorry about ruining your plans. If I had known…”

Smiling gratefully, he shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. There will be other surprises. It’s important to me that my parents like you.” 

Running a dish towel over a glass, you asked, “Why did you do all this anyway? The candles, the roses… It was beautiful, don’t get me wrong. But is there some special occasion I don’t know about?” 

He unplugged the sink, letting the water out as you set the dry glass with the rest of the dishes. Carl dried his hands with a separate towel and then walked over to stand in front of you. Your legs spread to make room for him to stand between them, and you draped your arms over his shoulders. 

“I just missed you. Wanted to do something special.” His hands ran up the outside of your thighs as he stared at you, those piercing blue eyes giving you chills. 

_ Chelsea was right, _ you thought.  _ He does dote on his girl like a princess. _ You just felt lucky to be the girl he chose. The girl he loved. 

“And, uh,” you whispered, getting closer by the second. His arms looped around your back, dragging you to the edge of the counter. As you talked, your lips brushed his. “Does the trail of rose petals lead all the way to the bed?” 

Carl chuckled and shook his head, planting a lingering kiss on your lips. He pulled away too soon, leaving your heart fluttering for more. “Gary told me not to do that. Said, ‘there’s nothing worse than being in the middle of making love to your bird and having to stop to dig petals out of your ass.’” 

Your head tilted back in laughter. That was so like Gary. And of course Carl had called him for advice, he had probably called half the boys for help. Most of you could barely get dressed in the morning without a second opinion. Chelsea and Priya were usually your go-to girls. The Love Island experience had bonded most of you together for life. 

“Of course he did,” you said, still giggling. Carl watched you adoringly, like the living embodiment of the heart-eye emoji. You felt a pounding in your chest that slowly moved down until it settled at the pit of your stomach. “We’ll just have to make do.” 

Carl drew his bottom lip between his teeth slowly, eyes flickering to your lips. Your fingers curled into the hair at the nape of his neck; it had gotten longer since you first met, the perfect length to tug on in the heat of the moment. The eye contact felt like it lasted forever, but maybe that was just your impatience.

One second he wasn’t kissing you and then he was. Slowly at first, drawing it out as his hands untucked your shirt. You steadily gained momentum, the kiss turning more heated and passionate with every second. Spiraling into lightheadedness, you nipped at his bottom lip to give your lungs a chance to replenish themselves. 

Carl tugged at the hem of your sweater, and you lifted your arms so he could take it off. It hit the floor somewhere behind him. Your lips connected again, his tongue tracing the edge. He drank in your kiss like he was dying from thirst. You both felt the need for that physical connection you hadn’t had in weeks. Phone sex was good, but nothing could replace the real thing.

Your hands moved to his chest, desperately trying to untangle the buttons of his shirt. One by one, they popped open until you got to the bottom. Hastily, you untucked it as his lips traced your jawline. You pushed the white material off his shoulders, letting it join yours on the floor. 

His lips pressed to the skin of your neck, alternating between kissing and biting as he worked his way down. One of his hands held on tightly to your hip while the other tugged the strap of your bra off your shoulder. Impatiently, you reached up and unfastened the clasp, thankful it was in the front. It slipped off your shoulders, and you let it fall on the counter behind you. 

One smooth hand cupped your breast, thumb stroking your hardened nipple as the other hand drifted lazily up and down your arm. His lips traced the curve of your shoulder to your collarbone. He bent his head further, taking one of your nipples in his mouth and sucking on it, swirling his tongue around it. 

Carl’s attention switched between your breasts as his right hand tried to find the zipper of one of your boots. He fumbled with it for a few seconds before finally figuring it out, unzipping your boot and tugging it off. You helped him with the next one so that he could focus on what his mouth was doing instead. 

The button on your pants was next, which opened easily under his fingers. Another zipper was pulled down, and then you were lifting your hips so he could tug your pants off. You expected him to come closer again, but he stopped, one hand trailing up your bare leg. 

He watched you with rapt attention, your bare chest heaving and wishing he would touch you again. You saw a flick of his tongue as he wet his lips, and then he sunk down onto one knee. Bare hands caught you behind the knees, draping your legs over his shoulders as he dragged you onto the edge of the counter. He was the only thing keeping you from falling off, and somehow that thrill made it so much hotter. Your heart pounded fervently in your chest. 

Carl planted a hot kiss to your clothed center, and then his tongue traced your slit through the soaked fabric of your panties. A pleased sigh escaped your lips. He teased you a bit longer before sliding a finger into the side of your underwear, pushing them to the side. 

His soft lips latched onto your clit, sucking it into his mouth. Your head fell back against the cabinets as you moaned. His tongue pressed into your damp skin, flicking out to taste you eagerly. Your hips rocked into his mouth, eagerly chasing your pleasure, and he moaned against you, the vibrations making you shudder. Your hand pushed Carl’s dark hair back from his forehead, holding his head steady as he lapped at you. 

His nose brushed against your clit, and you cursed, urging him to keep going. As his lips found your clit again, a fire began in the pit of your stomach, building and building until you came against his tongue. Carl happily drank you up, letting you ride out your orgasm. 

You released his hair, hand falling into your lap as you struggled to catch your breath. Carl unwrapped your legs from his shoulders and stood, holding out a hand to help you to your feet. You slid off the counter, your soaked panties back in place and legs shaking. 

He smiled at you, clearly proud of himself. “So pretty.” With your hand in his, he led you to the stairs of his loft and ushered you ahead of him. You smirked, sashaying a little more than necessary as he followed you up the stairs. You knew he was watching, and enjoying himself if the staggered breathing was any indication.

The bedroom looked just like it had last time you were here. A beautiful king-sized bed with a tall leather headboard and simple sheet set. A plush blue comforter. The softest grey carpet in the world under your feet. 

You stopped just beside the bed and then turned back to Carl, who was still - unfortunately - half-dressed. That wouldn’t do. With an impish grin on your face, you tugged him closer by the waistband of his pants, relishing in the little gasp he let out. Your hands made quick work of his belt, slipping it out of the loops on his trousers and tossing it to the floor. It landed at the foot of the bed with a metallic clink. 

A button popped followed by a zipper, and he shoved his trousers down. Your lips found each other again, your breasts pressed against his bare chest. Carl’s hand slipped in the back of your panties, squeezing your ass as you cupped his erection through his boxers. 

Kissing his jaw and down his neck, your left hand traced the delicate muscles of his back and around his side as your mouth wandered. When your fingers skimmed his ribcage, Carl flinched as it tickled. You winked at him, a silent laugh on your lips.

Slowly, you knelt before him on the carpet, fingers slipping into the waistband of his underwear. He watched you with bated breath as you tugged them down. You didn’t know if you would ever get used to the sight of him in all his glory, or the sound he made as you gripped him in your hand and ran your tongue over the underside of his shaft. 

Your tongue traced up to his tip before your lips wrapped around him. Your hands stroked what your mouth couldn’t reach as your cheeks hollowed out around his length. His head tipped back in ecstasy, gasping as your hand twisted around his base. 

The sight was almost too much for you, your own body aching for his touch again. Carefully, never stopping your movements, your other hand inched past the band of your underwear. Your fingertips brushed your sensitive clit before sinking into your warmth, and you moaned around him. 

“Oh, _ shit _ …” It wasn’t often Carl cursed, which made it so much hotter when he did. The noises coming out of his mouth made you work even harder, and soon you could tell he was on the edge. 

Releasing him with a pop, you slowly stood back up and Carl backed you up to the bed. The back of your knees hit the bed and then you sat. You watched as he crossed to his bedside table and grabbed a condom. As he rolled it on, you finally yanked your underwear off, tossing them with the rest of his clothes. Impatience rolled off you in waves as you waited for the thing you had been missing for the past two weeks. 

Carl kissed you sweetly as he laid you back, your legs already spread for him. He settled between them nicely, hips snug against yours as he nudged your center. Slowly, he sank into you as deep as he could go. The two of you released twin moans as your legs wrapped around his back. 

The pace he set was torturous, drawing out every little reaction from your body as he took his time loving you. It was said in every touch and look and kiss how much you had missed each other. His lips traced the skin above your heart, caressing your breasts. Your nails scraped his back lightly as his muscles flexed under your hands. 

Carl’s hand found yours, entwining your fingers by your head as he groaned in your ear. You were both close again, but you didn’t want to stop. Not when you had to go back home tomorrow morning and not see each other for another few weeks. Tonight had to last.

You pushed on Carl’s shoulder lightly, just enough so he got the picture, and he pulled out without complaining. Flopping onto his back, he barely had a chance to breathe before you straddled him and sank back down on his length. He moaned loudly as his hands gripped your hips, and so did you. The new position let you feel him in different, more intimate ways. 

Your hips rolled, and you leaned forward to press your bodies together. From your lips down to your waist, there was no space between the two of you. As you rode him, slowly at first and then steadily building your pace as you got closer to the edge, his hands ran up your back. Traced the curve of your spine. Tangled into your hair as your lips danced together. 

Every time you ground against him, his pelvis brushed your clit and soon enough you tumbled right over the edge, your orgasm hitting you in waves as your walls fluttered around him. He moaned your name breathlessly, following you into ecstasy. 

Your body collapsed against his, hearts beating in tandem as you tried to catch your breath. You flashed him a satisfied but sleepy smile, brushing his hair off his forehead. Carl’s arms wrapped around your back, one hand rubbing out the kinks from your travels. Truthfully, you were seconds from nodding off to sleep before he said something.

“I needed this,” he said quietly. You could hear the vulnerability in his voice. “I miss you so much when you’re not here.” 

Your eyes opened, staring at the side of his face as he looked at the ceiling. “Me too,” you agreed. “We always knew it would be difficult to readjust to life outside the Villa. We’ve just got to find our rhythm.” 

Carl hummed noncommittally, folding one arm behind his head. “We’re okay, right?” you asked nervously. You didn’t want to hear that he was having second thoughts about this. It would tear you apart if he decided it wasn't worth all the effort you had to put in to be together. 

He smiled at you, brushing the worry lines out of your forehead with his thumb and then kissing the same spot. “Of course, babe. Perfect.” 

Reluctantly, you rolled off him so he could dispose of the condom, and when he came back, he tucked the two of you into bed. Pressed skin to skin, you felt right at home. Right where you needed to be.  You whispered your _ I love you’s _ softly, both of you sated and happy. Stomachs full and bodies exhausted. Hearts absolutely bursting at the seams. 

Just as your eyes drifted closed, you sniffled, a strange smell in the air. Like...smoke and burning cloth?

“Uh, Carl… What is that?”

His eyes widened comically as he swore. “The candles!” He tripped over the duvet in his hurry to get out of bed and down the steps of his loft. Your loud laughter rang out through the apartment.

Yeah, there wasn’t anywhere else you’d rather be.


End file.
